


A Sweet Excursion

by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink)



Series: The Mighty Nein Go To The Beach! (Critical Role Relationship Week 2018) [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Because I Refuse To Have A World That Can't Have Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge In It, Gen, One Sexual Innuendo, Peanut Butter Exists in Exandria Now, Several Named OCs Because Someone Has To Work In This Candy Store, Written For Critical Role Relationship Week 2018, You're Probably Going To Want Fudge After This, the fluffiest fluff that ever did fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_in_ink/pseuds/Angel%20Ascending
Summary: Molly and Jester go to Jester's favorite shop in all of Nicodranas. Well, after the bakery of course.





	A Sweet Excursion

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to @cinwicked (again) for conversations about if half-elves could get sunburned, and for also, without me asking, looking up the price of fudge ingredients in D&D. 
> 
> I set this premise up at the end of "With Your Words For Company I Won't Ever Be Lonely," but that's not required reading. All you need to know is that this is set during some time in the future when it's safe for Jester to visit her mom in Nicodranas. Takes place the day after A Room Is Not A Home.

Nicodranas in summer was a busy affair, the streets and shops absolutely full of people dressed in fine clothes who seemed to possess more money than manners, as if the concept of being polite to other people had taken a vacation as soon as they had set foot inside the city. Molly found himself ratcheting up his own personal charm to compensate and he had already lost count of just how much silver he had tipped the obviously overworked staff at each place they had visited so far. When he got back to the beach he was going to have to tell Nott that the town was just _full_ of grumpy rich folk who could use a little lesson in humility.

“It’s so weird,” Jester said to Molly as they walked through the streets. “I don’t think I’ve ever walked around the town as _me_ before.”

“You’re always _you_ , dear, regardless of what magic makes you look like,” Molly said with a grin, reaching down to squeeze Jester’s hand briefly. People kept staring at the two of them, and Molly couldn’t tell if it was just the usual stares because they were tieflings, or if it was because Jester was wearing a bikini in a shade of pink so bright that it rivaled the sun and nearly shone through the sheer turquoise beach wrap she was wearing. Molly hadn’t been surprised to learn that well off people had clothes _specifically_ for swimming in, because that seemed like something someone elitist would come up with, but he _had_ been delighted by the concept. The only reason he wasn’t wearing his own beach attire was because he hadn’t wanted to spend his shopping trip with Jester having to constantly fend off advances from people who would have been obviously enthralled by his sparkling gold swim bottoms that left absolutely _nothing_ to the imagination. Instead he was wearing what he usually wore, though he had cut the sleeves off this particular shirt, and he had traded his boots for sandals.

Jester gave him a playful little shove. “You know what I mean! I’ve never come here and _looked_ like me before. Not that pretending I was other people wasn’t fun, because it definitely was, and it made playing pranks on people so much easier!”

“No playing pranks on shopkeepers today, if you can help it,” Molly said. “They’ve all looked like they’ve had more than enough to deal with.”

“Tourists are dicks,” Jester agreed with a nod. “Not us, I mean, not when we’re the tourists. We’re great.”

Molly thought of all the towns they weren’t welcome in anymore even as he gave Jester a wide grin. “Indeed we are! And today I’m the tourist and you’re the local showing me around, so where should we go next? What’s your favorite place?”

They had already visited the apothecary for salve for Caleb’s sunburn, the poor man’s skin had gone nearly as red as his hair after some time spent in the sun without his many layers of clothes. While they were there they had also purchased cream that was supposed to actually prevent getting burned in the first place. Sunburn wasn’t a problem for either of the tieflings or Fjord or Nott and surprisingly Yasha, who was paler than Caleb, but Molly hated to think about how insufferable Beau would be if she got sunburned, not to mention Cali, who was already acquiring a tan. The last thing they needed was a sunburnt sorcerer whose dragon blood tended to act up when she was in pain.

“Well, we already went to the bakery,” Jester said, and it was a good thing her bag was magic because otherwise Molly didn’t know just how they would have been able to transport the sheer amount of bear claws Jester had bought. Even now the smell of cinnamon clung to her. “Oh, I know! They’re used to be this great candy store over here!” Jester grabbed Molly’s arm and he happily let himself be dragged in the desired direction.

“I still can’t believe there are stores that just sell candy. Tea shops I understand. Tea is necessary.” Molly had bought tea while they were at the apothecary even, a blend of lavender and lemon rind and other more exotic ingredients that usually put him right to sleep. Sadly, his insomnia had not taken a vacation.

“Candy is necessary too! Especially at sleepovers,” Jester said firmly. That was one of the reasons she had come into town with Molly, she had said she needed some supplies for a sleepover she was planning with the girls. “Also, we need marshmallows. We have done so much camping without marshmallows and that’s just wrong.”

“I don’t know what a marshmallow is, but I am very excited to find out,” Molly said, and it was true. His own experience with candy had more or less been limited to hard candy, which was cheap and travelled well, not to mention easy to conceal in pockets and in the palms of his hands for when he pretended to pull candy from behind the ears of small children. He had cheered Toya up multiple times with that little trick.

When they entered the shop, (Candy’s Copper Kettle, read the sign over the door) the smell of sugar hit Molly like a physical thing, so hard and strong that he nearly staggered from it. Jester stopped and inhaled, her eyes bright.

“It smells _amazing_ in here!” Jester said, and she dropped Molly’s hand to spin in a little circle as if to take in everything all at once. “Just like I remember! Oooo, chocolate!” Jester was off and running to a glass case where dozens of tiny chocolates were arranged artfully on little plates that put Molly in mind of how jewelry was displayed in shops. The prices on the signs identifying the chocolate put Molly in mind of jewelry as well.

“Is it magic, the chocolate? For that price it should grant wishes and heal the dying,” Molly said, and was surprised when he heard a snicker not only from Jester, but the half-elf standing behind the counter.

“The boss says chocolate making is an art,” the half-elf said, tucking a strand of dark hair behind one pointed ear. “And he’s not wrong, not about that, but the prices he charges, can’t argue with you there.” Her smile was tired but friendly, and Molly warmed to her instantly.

“Let me guess,” Molly said, leaning on the counter. “You’re overworked and underpaid, and all the while your boss is off elsewhere, maybe having a drink or two?”

“You must be a seer, sir,” the half-elf said with a grin. “Got all that in one.” She stuck out a hand. “Name’s Mela. And what’s brought you two into our _fine_ establishment today, may I ask?”

“My name’s Jester and we need candy. So much candy!” Jester said, shaking the offered hand. “And Molly doesn’t know what marshmallows are and that is just sad. Please tell me you have marshmallows.”

“We do indeed have marshmallows, freshly made even,” Mela said with a smile.

“I don’t think you’re going to have any more once Jester’s had her way,” Molly said. “You might want to start a tab.”

It was a good thing that they had arrived at what passed for lunchtime, it meant that the store was in-between the mid-morning rush and late afternoon rush, and there were plenty of employees available to wrap up fancy chocolates and squares of caramels and what was indeed was the store’s entire stock of marshmallows into waxed paper. Molly watched, amused, as Jester added several flavors of salt water taffy to her order. “We’re really going to be testing out the capacity of your magic pink bag today, aren’t we? It’s not going to melt in there, right?”

“I don’t think stuff gets hot in there,” Jester said. “Or cold. I already know things don’t get wet, because Caleb had me put his books in there that time in the cave with the merrow. Aren’t you going to get anything, Molly? I mean, it’s not like I’m not going to share, but I thought you’d have found something interesting by now.”

“Truth be told, this is all a little bit overwhelming,” Molly admitted. “Everything looks equally delicious.” Also, as adventurous as he was, his sweet tooth wasn’t nearly as large as Jester’s. To be fair, he hadn’t _ever_ met anyone with a sweet tooth as large as Jester’s.

The scrape of what sounded like metal against stone caught Molly’s attention and he looked up from a display of candy that looked like large crystals, his tail twitching slightly in alarm. The sound rang out again, a noise Molly associated more with battle than anything to do with candy, but Jester squeaked in excitement and Molly instinctively held out his arm so it could be grabbed.

“They’re making fudge today! Molly, you’ve got to see this!”

Molly let himself be dragged to the back of the store, the smells of sugar and chocolate only getting stronger as he went. There was another of those long display case counters, but instead of tiny chocolates, good size blocks of what Molly presumed was fudge were on display. It was what was behind the counter that was more interesting though, as a half-elf woman with arms nearly as muscular as Yasha’s was moving around what looked like a slab of marble, using a metal spatula to continuously stir and flip what looked like a pool of melted chocolate.

“They boil sugar and butter and stuff in that great big copper kettle over there,” Jester said, pointing to a large, open fireplace over in the corner where a large copper kettle hung. “And then they pour it out on the marble slab which helps the fudge cool off, and they mix it which helps it cool off _more_ , and sometimes they put stuff in it like caramel or peanut butter or nuts, and then when it gets all thick they shape it into loaves and then it’s fudge, practically.”

“Sounds like you’ve been here before,” the half-elf called over her shoulder, not pausing in her work. “Forgive me for not stopping what I’m doing. Name’s Candy.”

“Like the sign?” Molly asked with a smile. The woman had an accent that sounded faintly like Gustav’s and his own, and Molly found himself warming to her immediately.

“Exactly like,” Candy said, flashing a quick grin, brown eyes sparkling. “And if I hear you ask if I’m as sweet as my name, I will disembowel you with a fudge knife so fast that this fudge won’t even have time to set on the slab.” Her tone was jovial, but something about the way she handled the metal spatula did indeed make Molly wonder if she had some skill with swords.

“Good to know, good to know,” Molly said as Jester browsed the selection of fudge, no doubt making a list of what she wanted.

“Candy, are you threatening customers again?” The voice that came from beneath an archway that lead most likely to a back room had an accent similar to Caleb’s, which was unusual to hear this far south.

“You call it threatening, I call it a friendly warning, Rache.”

“Word’s going to get back to the boss one of these days, and then you’ll be out of a job, which means I’ll be out of a job, because if you go, I go.”

“He’ll never fire me, he owes me for his success and he knows it, my name on the sign proves that much,” Candy said over the scraping of her spatula.

A tiefling with skin the deep rose of sunset stepped out of the back, her tall, spiral horns rising over dusky pink hair, her black eyes taking in Jester and Molly with interest. “Why hello there. Would you like to sample some fudge, or did my friend’s threat of violence totally put you off?”

“Nothing could keep me from trying fudge,” Jester said gleefully. “And Molly here has probably never had any, just like he’s never had marshmallows.”

“Is that so? Well, we can fix that.” Rache picked up a metal spatula similar to Candy’s and used it to cut a thick sliver off a slab of fudge, which she then cut in half before offering the two pieces to Molly and Jester. “That’s regular chocolate, give that a try and see how you like it.”

Molly, who indeed had never had fudge as far as he knew, popped the sample into his mouth and closed his eyes in contemplation. The flavor of the chocolate was deep and complex, the confection itself creamy and smooth, sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. He liked it immensely.

“How much is your fudge?” Molly heard Jester ask, and he didn’t even wait to hear the answer.

“I’ll take a piece of every flavor you have in the case,” Molly said, opening his eyes to both Rache and Jester looking at him with amusement.

“The pieces are half a pound and cost two gold each,” Rache said, and the look on her face suggested that she was waiting for Molly to change his mind. “And there are ten flavors in the case right now.”

Molly turned to Jester. “Is five pounds going to be enough, do you think?”

“Well, there _are_ eight of us,” Jester said thoughtfully.

“Fair point.” Molly turned back to Rache. “Make that _two_ pieces of every flavor in the case.”

Rache grinned, pointy teeth flashing in the light. “Your boyfriend has both excellent taste and deep pockets.”

“Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” Jester said quickly. “He’s one of my very best friends though.”

“I see,” Rache said, eyeing Molly like Jester had been eyeing expensive chocolate moments ago.

“I’m taken,” Molly said. “Twice taken, actually. It’s a shame, I know.”

“Ah well,” Rache said, sighing dramatically. “I suppose I shall cope somehow.” She winked, then started placing pieces of fudge onto waxed paper and wrapping them.

They made small talk, and once Rache found out that one of Molly’s boyfriends was also Zemnian, insisted that Molly take several pieces of something called marzipan, free of charge.

“Little taste of home,” Rache said. “You’ll come back and tell me what he thinks, _ja_?”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be back,” Molly said. “I have a feeling Jester is going to want snacks for the road.”

“Well of _course,_ ” Jester said.

It was a good thing that Jester’s bag weighed the same regardless of what was placed in it. The only thing that changed weight by the time they left the shop were Molly and Jester’s coin pouches, especially after they had started tipping everyone. Since Molly didn’t see the purpose in having gold if he couldn’t use it to make other people happy, he considered it money very well spent.

“So I’m one of your very best friends?” Molly said as they began the walk out of town.

“Of course!” Jester said cheerfully. “I mean, the Traveler is obviously best because he was the first. And then after him is probably Beau…” There was a gleam of mischief in her eyes, and Molly couldn’t help but rise to the bait.

“I’m under _Beau?_ Jester, you wound me.” Molly clutched a hand to his chest and staggered as Jester giggled.

“No, silly, _I’m_ under Beau. Several times a week usually. Though sometimes we switch.”

Molly clapped a hand over his eyes as if that would stop the mental image from forming. “Okay, that was entirely too much information!” He blindly staggered into Jester, who laughed and kissed the hand covering his eyes until he removed it.

“There! I have cured your blindness! I am the best cleric!”

“Best cleric and one of my very best friends,” Molly agreed, and leaned over and kissed Jester on the cheek.

“Then all is right with the world,” Jester said sagely, and Molly slung an arm over her shoulders as they walked back to the beach, the air around them smelling like chocolate and cinnamon.

**Author's Note:**

> One of my jobs might *possibly* be at a tourist place in a seaside town, and that place might just sell fudge. Maybe. Our chief fudge-maker is a very nice woman who probably has never thought about disemboweling someone with our fudge knives, though I guess you never can tell. Be nice to retail employees, especially those who have access to sharp knives, is all I'm saying. Also, we don't make our fudge on a marble slab, but I have at least one customer a day ask me if we do, so I finally looked it up while researching this fic. Kudos to to anyone who does it the old fashioned way, because damn that takes work.
> 
> OC's backstories have been cut for time and pacing, this is probably a Good Thing.
> 
> I'm angel-ascending over on Tumblr if y'all want to stop by and say hi!


End file.
